The California Senate Budget Subcommittee on Public Safety voted last Wednesday to reject the additional $250 million for county jail construction that Governor Jerry Brown proposed in his revised budget proposal.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) recently marked the 25th anniversary of the N.A. Chaderjian Youth Correctional Facility and the 50th anniversary of the O.H. Close School for Boys (now O.H. Close Youth Correctional Facility), both located in Stockton.

Crook County’s Public Safety Advisory Committee presented conclusions from a report in late April that showed several convicted offenders in the county are currently free because of limited jail space in Prineville, and, therefore, building a new jail is the only solution to overcrowding.

The Tulare County Board of Supervisors awarded a $52.4 million contract to San Fernando, Calif.-based Bernards Bros. Inc. to build the new 510-bed South County Detention Facility in Porterville. DLR Group Inc. and Vanir Construction Management Inc. have already been hired to help with the project — both of which have offices in Sacramento, Calif.

Although San Francisco decided to turn down SB 863 jail funding and not move forward with a $380 million to plan to replace the city’s aging jails in the Hall of Justice, its current jails still face severe issues with regard to security.

Work on the Skagit County Jail in Mount Vernon began in November 2015, much to the relief of jail staff. The county had been in need of new correctional facilities for more than a decade and regularly was forced to accommodate more than twice the 83 inmates for which it was originally rated. Once complete, the jail will contain 400 beds throughout both housing pods and dormitories, medical and dental care facilities, and a courtroom. It will also be built with ample space to expand to 800 beds in the future.

Construction on the much-anticipated San Luis Obispo County women’s jail broke ground in February 2014 and is well underway for a March 2017 opening.
Discussions about the jail began as far back as 1999 when a grand jury report highlighted overcrowding at the county’s current jail, according to The Tribune.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) regained responsibility for providing medical care at the Correctional Training Facility in Soledad in early March. This marks the second state prison that the CDCR regained medical care responsibilities for after a decade of federal control.